


Love at 7.66 km/s and 427 km up

by sanctum_c



Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: F/F, Introspection, Lesbian Character, Lesbians in Space, Light-Hearted, Long-Distance Relationship, Post-Canon, Radio, Romance, Space Flight, Space Stations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:46:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29765352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctum_c/pseuds/sanctum_c
Summary: Dating another SeeD was not without its complications and the biggest of these was the possibility of long-term deployment elsewhere. Inevitably Xu went to space.
Relationships: Quistis Trepe/Xu
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5
Collections: FFVIII - Tender Love Care





	Love at 7.66 km/s and 427 km up

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the FFVIII: Tender Love Care Challenge and for the prompt:
> 
> _Distance makes the heart grow fonder_

Dating another SeeD was not without its complications and the biggest of these was the possibility of long-term deployment elsewhere.

Quistis made another mental note; talk to Rinoa about rescinding her contract for the liberation of Timber. The mission, oddly pivotal in the defeat of Ultimecia, remained on the books and was always a frustration when it came up as part of the Garden’s mission reviews. 

Rinoa was not a SeeD and thus never invited to attend these meetings. So the problem came up, but completing such an old contract at this time and with far more pressing concerns to attend to was a distinctly secondary concern. Did not help Cid had waived most of SeeD’s own guidelines upon taking and assigning the job. Nor the inconvenient detail of Timber long-since liberated thanks to Galbadia’s myriad other issues after Edea passed her sorceress powers on.

Technically speaking Squall, Zell and Selphie were still trying to liberate the town despite the numerous years since the assignment. Had Cid somehow known to put Squall on the mission at the relevant juncture? Known to assign those SeeDs to ensure the orphanage gang united once more, to assemble the team who would ultimately travel to the ends of time to defeat their adversary? A fascinating, improbable possibility. And likely near impossible to broach in any kind of normal conversation.

In any case; Quistis was certain if Rinoa wanted to help Timber – should anything happen to it in the future – she could liberate it solo and those responsible for the relevant peril would regret such actions intensely. Strange to think the pretty stranger who should enthral Squall so would have so much power.

The events of the Sorceress conflict changed all of them. And all around her people had someone else to share a celebration with upon Ultimecia’s defeat. Rinoa had Squall, Selphie had Irvine. Zell had the library girl with pig-tails whose name Quistis simply could never pronounce correctly. Something beginning with M? She would need to figure it out for the next time she wound up talking to her at a SeeD function.

On their evening of victory Quistis had no one. Possibly inevitable given her absurd and long-standing crush on Squall. And he not only spurned her but went on to find happiness and contentment with Rinoa.

Quistis’s relationship with Xu began as life in the Garden returned more or less to normal.She already was a passing friend, another Triple Triad rival – not on her level, though few bar Squall were – but an interesting opponent nonetheless. They had tumbled into bed and something more intimate during an intended quiet evening with some wine and cards.

They could not overlook how their new found feelings for each other came with the potential of time apart; SeeD still undertook missions, and those in turn helped the facility continue. The switchover of mission for Garden was graceful; SeeD continued to do what it had always done. The secret former goals now no longer a factor and so few of the Garden’s recruits had any idea the goal was any different. The day to day focus of the organization was fundamentally no different than before.

Most SeeD missions of the period took weeks if not days. This was clearly perfectly palatable; not too detrimental for spending time with Xu. Naively but both committed to making the relationship work.

Spaceflight was now part of the world thanks to Esthar’s re-emergence onto the world stage. Technically, the technology and practice were in active use for over a decade. While humanity fought on the surface, above them floated satellites and a space station. Not the same installation used for observing the contained Adel, long lost thanks to Ultimecia’s puppetry, but a fledgling new facility whose focus was the monstrous world of the Moon, forever watchful for another lunar cry.

Another note; make sure the Lunatic Pandora was still secure and far away from Tear’s point. The structure – or more specifically the mysterious crystalline pillar within – fascinated the scientific teams sent to research it. Odine was allegedly in charge despite numerous objections from Squall, but few had anything close to the experience with the strange artefact.

Esthar alone operated space missions currently, though Galbadia had aspirations to make in-roads into the technology. Inevitably Xu went to space. Quistis’s own brief trip to space was a memory Xu hung on every word of when they curled up in bed together.

Nepotism worked, much to Quistis’s chagrin. A few careful words to Squall and Rinoa got back to Esthar where familiar faces and names ensured Xu’s presence on future space missions. Longer term missions; Xu was now an absurd distance away and communication limited.

“Was it this cramped when you came up here?” Xu’s voice crackled over the radio, distant suns intruding on the signal.

“The old station seemed enormous. But I only ever got to see a small section of it. Way too many concerns all at once.” Not least Quistis’s complicated feelings toward Rinoa at the time. The trip far from comfortable, itself instrumental in arranging the board for Ultimecia’s plans. She pushed the memory away. Long past such silliness or inadvertent complicity on her part. Focus on the grand scale of space. Of seeing the world from above, existing so much closer to the Moon and learning its place in the origins of the world’s monsters.

“I would take that right now.” Xu’s voice altered; lowering her voice maybe? A strange lack of significance given her mechanically processed voice remained as loud over the headphones. “Everything’s on top itself here. And you said you had gravity up here?”

“We did. Guessing the novelty’s worn off?”

“No. I mean. Maybe. Sometimes? It is so liberating to be able to float. But then there’s all the stuff we have to do. Food has to be in packets and we have to constantly exercise. And using the bathroom- Eesh.” She broke off well after Quistis started laughing. “Glad my discomfort is so amusing to you.” There was no rancour in her voice.

“Sorry, sorry.” Quistis grinned. “But so odd to hear a SeeD complaining about food and keeping fit. You missing the hot dogs here or something?”

Xu was silent. “I think I could murder a hot dog right now. And keeping fit in zero-gee is very different to keeping fit with combat drills or undertaking missions. Gotta use exercise machines here constantly. And leave time back there is way different to leave time up here. I can’t really go anywhere. Plus I could just not do exercise sometime if I was down there.”

Quistis glanced around; no one else in the room right now. “I do hope the choice would always factor in some special exercise with a partner.” Her cheeks heated up. No one should be able to hear, but who was to say the various machines allowing their communication were not archiving all this somewhere. Hopefully no one would ever hear it but-

“Oh, absolutely. Oh Quistis. I miss that. A lot a lot.”

She grinned at the response, but cleared her throat. Not good to get interrupted here in a room nominally used for missions, grinning like an idiot. “But I hope you don’t regret undertaking the mission.”

“Not in the slightest! It’s like any other mission, just with so many more barriers to getting home after. Another two months and I’m sure I’ll be griping about gravity. And I haven’t played Triple Triad since I came up here!” Genuine distress in her voice now.

“Guess cards and no gravity don’t mix?”

“Nope.” Loud crackle as Xu sighed. “And like, maybe magnets would work, but they are absolutely the last thing you want to have lying around up here.”

Quistis winced. “Quite. Well, I think I have our first evening all planned when you’re back.” Space retained some novelty for Quistis; she had spent so little time in zero gravity. Scarcely gone up before coming back down with absurd haste. A future visit, but spending so long up there was not something she was keen on. “Make sure you leave the monsters with you though.”

“No fear of that.” Xu sighed so far away and fumbled the microphone. “Going to have to cut things off now. Due back on duty shortly. Talk to you tomorrow?”

“Of course. Miss you and counting down the days.”

“Me too. Love you.” Quistis responded in kind and clicked the radio off. She paused to glance out of the window and up into the distant sky. Xu was up there somewhere; Quistis strained to catch the distant light of the station and her long distance girlfriend.


End file.
